Dinner Party: Live on Tour in Cologne on October 13 – my birthday – is a night I’ll never forget. Niall Horan didn’t just perform, he had a blast while doing it and everyone in the room felt it. The energy was amazing and I was smiling from ear to ear the entire time.
Honestly, if you would have asked me who my favourite One Direction member was 16 years ago, I would have said Liam. And probably also Harry at some point. Niall wasn’t really on my list. Silly me. I love how every band member has evolved in a specific direction after 1D, that really feels like them. And Niall’s music speaks to me the most. When I saw he played in Cologne on my birthday, I decided I wanted to go there instead of to his show in Belgium (on November 5th). Best decision ever.
Screaming, crying, laughing and dancing
Niall started the concert perfectly on time in the Lanxess Arena, with Tastes so Good (from Dinner Party, the album) followed by Heartbreak Weather. I immediately noticed how confident and happy he was. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what his personality was as an artist, but that became clear from the moment he stepped on stage. Constantly smiling, making jokes, being witty, dancing, moving in a funny way… All while singing beautifully and being authentic, putting in real emotions. It never felt like he did this same show every night, which is an art that not many artists master.
However, I should give the crowd its credit as well. Everyone was elated even before the concert began. The energy was amazing and don’t even get me started about the sound levels. The screaming and cheering was overwhelming (in a good way). Turns out Niall hadn’t performed there since 2018, so lots of fans had been waiting for a very long time. Niall also addressed this himself and said that during little breaks the band was saying how good this show felt.
It never felt like he did this same show every night, which is an art that not many artists master
He even felt sorry for all the audiences that would come after this show and said that he would remember this one forever. I know every artist says this every night on tour. But Niall repeated this multiple times – far beyond what was rehearsed. It didn’t seem prepared at all and felt absolutely genuine and real. At the end he was saying he didn’t even want to leave the stage. I didn’t want to leave either.
Accepting the pain and moving on
After reading this, it might seem the night was only happy and fun, but musically we went through many emotions. When he sang End of an Era, the crowd went quiet because it was written as a tribute to Liam Payne. After the song, they played some words Liam said about how amazing it was what they had as One Direction. Here and there I heard someone cry, even ugly cry right behind me. Goosebumps all over! Now, how do you get back to happiness from that moment on? Well, gradually. Just like you do when you grieve someone.
Slowly but surely, we shook the pain off and went back to enjoying life to the fullest, maybe even more than before
After End of an Era we went to a more modest setting, with the band sitting together at the end of the stage around a table under a chandelier. Like a dinner party. He sang Dear Patience, Flicker and Too Much To Ask there. And slowly but surely, we shook the pain off and went back to enjoying life to the fullest, maybe even more than before.
What followed were some heavy and bold guitar parts during Nice To Meet Ya, Small Talk and Flowers. The band really starred there. Niall gave them their moments throughout the entire show. He mentioned them multiple times and even introduced them individually with their full names on the screen. Not many artists go that far in celebrating their band and it was lovely to see their connection. Oh and that band consists of three women!! This is a huge exception in the pop world, especially for male artists. Mostly, when there are women included, it’s as background singers. Here, there were two female guitar players and one on the keys. Now that’s cool.
Colourful moods
A moment where the crowd went really wild is during Steal My Girl. When those first notes hit, it was like everyone went back to their childhood/teenage years where they were swooning over One Direction. After that, Save My Life was the ‘last song’, with colourful light effects that fit everyone’s mood, after which he said goodbye. Luckily he came back for more because we didn’t get Slow Hands and Heaven yet. For those two more songs, he came back on stage without his jacket. And there were no inhibitions left, you could say he was On The Loose (a song he didn’t sing by the way).
He looked like he had the time of his life and thanks to that, I did too
The dancing, the smooth hip movements… For someone who said he knows everything about bad knees when he was interacting with fans who brought signs, he was surprisingly flexible. He looked like he had the time of his life and thanks to that, I did too. When the last song ended, I thought he would leave the stage. But no! Not before he and his band danced the night away on Mamma Mia and lined up for a bow and a final wave to the cameras that allowed the audience to see him from every side. He really didn’t save on the production at all. Earlier he also thanked to audience to put their hands in their pockets to watch him on a Tuesday night, while the world is the way it is. He showed that he is aware of the fact that not everyone has the means he has and looked very very grateful.
Showing he’s not only an entertainer but also a caring human being, made him only more likeable. There was a lot of respect in both ways. Niall said he felt bad for the upcoming audiences who come after this show, well, I feel bad for the artists I’m seeing after him because the standard now is incredibly high. It was Nice To Meet Ya, Niall Horan.
Written by Nikita
Nikita – founder of Nikita’s World – is a Belgian author of feminist feelgood & a journalist specialized in pop culture and the creative industry.